Burning Second Street Park

A Novel

by Tom Bessette

Copyright 2009 BessetteBooks

Chapter 14
Gilly Beauchamp

This was like the coolest couple a days they ever was!  Lotsa people getting’ burned up an’ dyin’ an’ places burnin’ down.  Slug an’ Mim, an’ his sister an’ old lady an’ now stupid Yoder’s stupid ol’ man. An’ the cool fires!  Not the diddly ones we set, but real house fires! I wish ever’ day could be like this!

Coolest of all, though, was my stupid old man getting’ himself broke on the stairs.  He’ll be inna hospital for a while an’ won’t bother me none.  My mother won’t get all beat up, either.

I saw Baby’s old man bring her home las’ night.  They don’t know I saw ‘em.  They hugged an’ I thought, wow, maybe he’ll adopt me an’ I can really go live with them, now.  Baby gets money an’ don’t get all beat up.  His mother is kinda tough; maybe Mr. Nolette wants ta get rid a her or somethin’, which means he could take us.  Way cool!

It was even neat-o ta be watching them stupid jerks Harvey an’ Clark rollin’ aroun’ the mud inna frog pond.  Them bigger guys wasn’t all so high an’ mighty now, I tell ya.

Ol’ Bummer started reamin’ ‘em out, though.

“Come on, ya stupid dickwads!” he said. “We gonna go get Yoder an’ that stupid Kozinski whack job or what?”

“What!” yelled Clark, all mud, an’ alova sudden him an’ stupid Harvey was laughin’ they asses off! 

Bummer walked right over to ‘em an’ grabbed Clark by the shirt an’ haul him up outa the mud. “Ya talkin’ back to me?  Huh?  Are ya?  Huh?”  Alla time shakin’ the stuffin’ outa him.

“No, man,” Clark said.

“If ya don’t want to help, then the hell with you.  You dickwads are always fooling around when we have important stuff to do!”

Clark an’ Harvey wasn’t laughin’ now, I tell you.

“We’re sorry.  Didn’t mean nothin’!”

“No!  Just being jerk-offs, as usual.” Bummer was pissed!

“Sorry!”

“Sorry, man!”

Clark hanged his head down an’ Harvey looked like he thought ol’ Bummer was gonna knock his socks off.

“OK, OK! Let’s get going, then.  We’ve wasted too much time already.  Them assholes have had a long time to get scarce, you know?”

I said, “Yeah!  Let’s go git ‘em!”

Moose said, “What do you want to do?”

Bummer was getting’ all organized, an’ stuff.  “OK, where do you little guys thing they might be?”

I said, “Well, Nutso’s alla time hidin’ in the weeds alla time.  Right baby?”

Bummer said, “You keep calling my brother baby, I’ll give ya a knuckle sandwich!”

Yeah, like I was a scared a him!  “Baby, Baby, Baby!” I said!

Alova sudden Bummer had knocked me ta the ground an’ was standin’ up over me.  I got up quick an’ he knocked me right down again, the bastard.

“You gotta stop being a dickwad, Beauchamp!  I don’t care how tough you think you are, I’ll fuckin’ beat the piss out of ya if you don’t get with it.”

“I ain’t afraid a you!” I said.

“What a stupid little jerk! Sheesh!” said Bummer an’ started ta walk away.  I jumped up an’ run an’ jumped on his back.  He swirled around, broke my hold on ‘im, an’ actual threw me right inna frog pond.  I schlupped inta the mud an’ my Keds got stuck an’ come right off my feet.  I sloshed out a the muck an’ was about ta go at ‘im again, when Moose caught me an’ held on.

“Dammit, Gilly! Knock it off, will ya?  You gotta stop getting’ all mad all the time at every little thing. Geezum!”

Well, I guess I was bein’ kinda a problem, I guess.

“OK, OK, OK!  Leave me alone, I’ll stop!”  I looked at Bummer, real hard as I could, like ta tell ‘im that someday I’d cook his goose, but I stopped for today.  I think I could maybe even take ‘im now, if it wasn’t for these other guys stoppin’ me alla time.

But he was right, we hadda get Nutso an’ that stupid Yoder afore they burned an’ killed more guys.  I guess.

“So, alright, then.  So, Bobby, Nutso hangs out in the weeds, like dickwad here says?”  Bummer looked at me hard when he said this.  I shut up.

“Yeah, ‘member where Mike found him this morning?  That broke shack in the weeds? He goes there a lot, an’ since he was playing Army this morning when we found him, he probably won’t remember he was even there.”

“OK,” Bummer said, now what about that other asshole, Yoder, where’s he hang out?”

Moose said, “He is either playing ball with us at the park or the cemetery, or I think he hangs out at the old Calvary fort a lot.  That’s where he was today with Joey’s little brother. An’ Nutso’s dead brother.”

Nosal said, “Maybe he’s at home with his mom?  His father just got killed, after all.”

“Nah!” said Bummer.  “He’s running from the cops an’ won’t go home.  They’ll be watching for him, there.”

“They’re watching for Nutso, too,” said Moose.

“Right!” said Bummer.  “That’s why we gotta get ‘em both first!”

“Yeah,” I said, “Or we won’t get to be the heroes!”

“OK,” Bummer said. “Nosal, you take Beauchamp and Harvey and them three guys there,” (he pointed to Trixie, Lucky an’ Wooly) “and go to the old fort to get Yoder. I’ll take Clark and my brother and the Boulerice’s to the weeds behind our house to rat out Kozinski.  I’m forgetting anybody?”

“Nope!”

“Nope!”

“Ya got ever’ body!”

“OK, then.  If you don’t find him in the first place you look, go looking around other places.  Check where guys that are hiding from the cops might go, like the ravine and the cemetery and stuff.  Let’s meet back at the park in an hour, got it?”

Ever’ body yupped.  Nosal grabbed me by my ear an’ started a drag me with ‘im.  I knocked ‘is hand away, but ol’ Moose, he looked at me again an’ I thought, OK, but I’m gonna get you guys when I’m good an’ ready, when ya least expect it. Sumbitches!

Anyways, we headed over to the tracks an’ then follered ‘em ta back a Moose an’ Doodles’ house.  We took the path down aside a they house an’ their big ‘ol Checker Peak Bay receiver comes out barkin’ at us like we was trespassers or somethin’.  That dog had a mean streak a mile long.  Ya could jus’ tell he wanted a chew your legs out from under ya, or somethin’.

Nosal yelled at him. “Get the heck away from us, ya stupid mutt!”  Trixie an’ Wooly an’ Lucky was all hidin’ behind Nosal an’ me so they wouldn’t get bit up.

Moose an’ Doodle’s old man come out a the house then, prolly ta shut the stupid dog up from barkin’. But, no, he come right over ta us off a his porch, an’ all, an’ ya could tell he was mad about somethin’.

“You boys seen my two?”

“Two what?” asked Nosal, with a innocent look on ‘is face.  He knew two what, the jerk!

“Paul and Richard, you know who I mean!”

Trixie looked at Wooly an’ said, “Who the heck is Paul an’ Richard?”  Nosal was tryin’ hard not ta laugh, but wasn’t doin’ too good. He started makin’ snortin’ sounds an’ all, an’ bendin’ over an’ stuff.

“it’s Moose an’ Doodle’s names, ya stupid jerks!” I said.  “They gots real names ya know!  Sheesh!”

“Thank you, Mr. Beauchamp,” said their old man, like he wasn’t too thankful ta me at all.  “Have you seen them? You were with them down the street before.”  Geezum, I forgot!  What now?

“Geez, I dunno, Mr. Boulerice. “ I thought they come home.  I left ‘em an’ went up the tracks, an’ us guys been playin at the frog pond an’ stuff.”  He could see I was all mud, an’ so would know it was true.

“Well, if you see them, tell them to come straight home.  There are things to discuss.”

“OK, we will,” I said.  Nosal still couldn’t talk none, so he just shut up.  Good thing, too, he was so stupid!

We walked down to Main Street an’ started to cross over to the path to Whitney Hill.  I looked back an’ there was ol’ Mr. Boulerice, lookin’ at us like he thought we was up ta somethin’, instead a a innocent manhunt. Doin’ good for the neighborhood, ya know?  Like he cared!

“Come on, guys, let’s go,” I said. “The ol’ creep is watchin’ us. Let’s get out a sight, huh?”

“Stupid jerk!” said Nosal. “Mind your own business, dickwad.”

We all headed on down Whitney’s Hill.  If stupid Harvey an’ Clark was with us, you could bet they’d be rollin’ down the hill, laughin’ instead a doin’ the important stuff we was doin’.  They never knowed when ta be serious, or nothin’. Harvey, ‘specially.  He was a jerk-off if anybody ever saw one.

Nosal just hadda lead the way.  He just hadda.  Ever’ time I tried a walk ahead a ‘im, he grabbed my arm an’ pulled me back, sayin’ stuff like “Stay in line, little boy”, an’ stuff like that.  The jerk!  The other stupes with us, Trixie, an’ them, didn’t say nothin’.  Matter a fact, they hardly ever did say nothin’.  Good thing!  Too many stupid jerks talkin’ alla time, anyways!

When we got ta the towpath, Lucky said he didn’t want a go lookin’ for Yoder anyways.

“Whataya mean?” said Nosal.

“Aw, he’s screwy,” said Lucky. “What a we gonna do when we find ‘im anyways, huh? We ain’t gonna call no cops, right?”

“No cops!” I said.

“Shut up, stupid,” Nosal said.

Trixie said, “Me an’ Wooly ain’t goin’ neither, OK?”

“Aw, c’mon, ya little babies!” said Nosal. “Whataya, scared?”

“Scared-y cats, scared-y cats!” I said, wavin’ my fingers at ‘em.

“No-oooh!” said Trixie. “We just wanna go do somethin’ else, OK?”

I kept on dancin’ around ‘em, like, singin’, “Scared-y cats, scared-y cats!”

“Jesus Cripes will ya fuckin’ shut UP, ya stupid punk?” said Nosal.

“Make me!” I yelled.  Then Nosal shoved ‘is hand on my forehead an’ I felled back head over heels off the towpath an’ down on ta the bottom a Whitney’s Hill an’ ended up in a buncha pickers.

Trixie said, “We’re just gonna go. See ya.”

Nosal said, “Suit yourself!  Just wait till Yoder comes an’ burns your house down an’ kills your family, huh?”

I couldn’t see none a ‘em, ‘cause I was still stuck in the pickers down the hill.  They had scraped me all up an’ stuff.  I was gonna kill that stupid Nosal when I got free, the jerk!

I finely did get all free, an’ stuff an’ when I got up ta the towpath, they was nobody there.  Geezum, jus’ like that, they disappeared, especially that stupid Nosal.  I mean I knew Trixie an’ them guys was leavin’, but what was Nosal gonna do about Yoder without me around ta help, huh?  Some guys jus’ never thought about nothin’, ya know?

I looked down towards the old burned fort but couldn’t see nothin’ down there, or nothin’.  I figured Nosal musta went there ta look for Yoder.  Maybe he was figurin’ ta meet me there an’ look together. But while I was still standin’ there, kinda lookin’ around ta see what else was goin’ on, like was the other guys over near the park yet, or somethin’, I saw somebody sneakin’ down in the ravine, down, way at the bottom a Whitney’s. It was prolly Nosal an’ I could go catch up.

So, I run over ta the path that led ta the cliff near the tunnel where the stream went underground ta the sewers, an’ stuff, an’ stopped ta look again.  Then I heard somebody call in a kinda screechy voice.

“Gilly!  Gilly!  Hey, Gilly!”

Geezum crow, how can ya find guys what’s hidin’ when ever’ body keeps callin’ at ya, ya know?

“What?” I yell-whispered.

“Gilly!”

“For cripes sake, what? Who’s callin’ me, for cripes sake?”

“It’s me!”  The voice was closer now.  “Frecks!”

I stood up an’ now I saw ‘im walkin’ down the towpath from the park.

“Whataya doin, huh, Gilly?”

“What’s it to ya?”

“I’ll help ya, OK?”

Yeah!  Like Frecks would be any help!

“I’m lookin’ for Yoder, we all are,” I said.

“All who?”

I looked around an’ remembered all the other guys was gone. “You know, Nosal an’ Trixie an’ them guys, an’ Moose an’ Bobby an’ Bummer an’ the rest is lookin’ for Nutso. We split up.”

“Geez, I ain’t seen ‘em.  Hey, your momma’s lookin’ for ya.  I been lookin’ for ya ta tell ya.”

“What’s she want?” I asked.

“I donno,” he said.  “Somethin’ about your ol’ man, er somethin’.  Geezum I dowanna go near him again! He’s crazier’n Nutso an’ meaner than Yoder.”

“it’s OK, he’s inna hospital for a long time.”

“No he ain’t.  At least your momma said he was comin’ home, somethin’ about a cast er somethin’, an’ crutchers an’ can’t work, er somethin’.”

“Well, he’ll sure like the part about can’t work. He ain’t never wanna work anyways.”

Geezum, my stupid ol’ man comin’ home?  There’s crummy luck.

“Yeah,” Frecks said. “Whataya gonna do with Yoder when ya catch ‘im, huh? Ya can’t beat ‘im up.  An’ he’s mean, too. He ever done business to ya?”

“I’d like ta see ‘im try it.  I’ll kill ‘im, if he does.”

“That would be good for me,” said Frecks. “I don’t need ‘im. Hey, why ya lookin’ down here?  it’s pretty smelly, huh?”

“I saw somebody a couple a minutes ago, just before you came.  They prolly run when they heard ya.”

“Ya think?” he said.  “They were a scared, maybe?”

“Not a you!” I said.

“I know, but anyways.”

“I don’t think they run too far.  I think they still down there.  I’m gonna go look.  You can come if ya want.”  I could tell he didn’t want a, but could see he didn’t want a be alone here, neither. It didn’t make no difference anyways, Frecks would jus’ run away like always when we caught Yoder, he wouldn’t be no help.

I got up ta climb down the twisty path to the bottom a the ravine.  The stones was loose but they was all curly vines an’ stuff ta hold on ta, so it was pretty easy.  I heard slippin’ behind me an’ there come Frecks, slidin’ on his hiney down the path, crashin’ right past me an’ floppin’ on ta the ground at the bottom.

“C’mon, Frecks, fer cryin’ out loud, don’t make so much noise, huh?” How could we catch Yoder when he was alla time crashin’ around?

“Sorry!”

We follered the stream back towards the park where it curved around towards Bobby’s house.  On the other side from what we was, they was people’s back yards, an’ most a them had big piles a garbage fallin’ down the hill like big waterfalls, or somethin’. It all stunk pretty bad.  I don’t know why they throw it in the ravine, the city guys comes an’ picks it up on a street for free, anyways.  Prolly it was easier ‘cause this way they didn’t gotta buy no garbage cans, I guess.

We got to the curve. Here, the cliffs was pretty steep an’ came right near the stream, so the only way to keep goin’ was ta walk inna stream. It didn’t look so good, ya know?  Ya could see people’s poop an’ stuff floatin’ onna water, an’ stuff.

Alova sudden, Frecks grabbed my arm an’ loud-whispered, “Look!”

I looked up jus’ in time ta see somebody peek outa the tunnel next ta Nolette’s house where the water comed out from where it went unnerneath the road. I yelled out, “Hey!” an’ ol’ Nutso sloshed outa the tunnel an’ starts scrabblin’ his way up Nolette’s garbage waterfall ta their yard.

“It’s Nutso!” Frecks yelled. 

“I know!” I said “Chase ‘im!”

“I thought we wanted Yoder!” he said.

“Jeepers Cripes, both a ‘em.  Go!”

We sloshed through the poop water up ta our knees till we got ta the garbage pile an’ we climbed up it, follerin’ Nutso, who had already got ta the top an’ runned who knowed where.  I didn’t wait for Frecks, who was still standin’ inna poop water when I looked back.  I hadda get Nutso, he was getting’ away.

I got ta the yard an’ right away saw Bobby an’ Bummer an’ them runnin’ down the alleyway ta their house.

“Nutso was inna tunnel inna ravine!” I yelled at ‘em.

Moose yelled back, “We saw him!  He ran into the weeds.  Spread out, guys!  Gilly, you take the Indian Trail.  Bobby, you too! Clark an’ Harvey, head back around Malvern’s. Rest of us, the Apache Trail.  ”

Bobby caught me at the start a the Indian Trail an’ we ran down it, fas’ as we could.

“You got all poop!” said Bobby.

“I know,” I said.  “I hadda catch Nutso.”

“What about Yoder?” he asked.

“Never saw ‘im.”

“What about the other guys?”

“They all lef’ me!”

“Even Nosal?”

“Yup!” I said.  “Jus’ disappeared, like nothin’!”

“Jerks!”

“I know!”  By this time we was at the park, right where the path comed out near the Teeter-Totters an’ Horsie Swings.  We heard yellin’ inna weeds near where the Apache Trail was. Sounded like Bummer an’ Moose yellin’ “Get ‘im!”  Prolly Nutso, hidin’ inna stupid shack, the stupe!

Bobby grabbed me an’ hissed.  “Gilly!” he said.

I looked where he was lookin’, an’ geezum crow there’s my stupid ol’ man.  Cripes, where’d he come from?  He’s walkin’ on crutches with my mother, real slow, like.  He didn’t look drunk, er nothin’. But that didn’t really mean nothin’.

I stayed where I was, an’ they kep’ comin’.  I figured I could easy out run ‘im if I hadda but I wanted a see what he’d say.  If he tried anythin’, I’d be out a here so fas’ they heads would spin.

“Well,” my stupid ol’ man said, “here’s the cigerbutt thieves, as I live an’ breathe.”

“Now, Gil,” my mother said.  Like he ever listened ta her, ya know?

“Shut up, woman! So, you little punks thought ya could steal my cigerbutts an’ make me break my leg an’ get away with it, huh?”

“Gilly, honey,” my mom said, “Tell your daddy you’re sorry, OK?  Just tell him you’re sorry and everything will be like before, OK sweetie?  Everything will be fine, OK?  Right Gil?”

My stupid ol’ man didn’t say nothin’, jus’ grinned at me like he wanted a eat me fer breakfast.  Bobby was kinda almos’ hidin’ behind me an’ I could feel him shakin’ like a leaf.  I was gonna be gol-damed if I was gonna say sorry to that bastard, no matter what.  I’d rather he kill me, fer sure, anyways.

We was still far away enough from ‘im to keep ‘im from grabbin’ me if he tried.  I didn’t believe he needed no crutches. I figured he could run if he wanted a.

Alova sudden, the guys come draggin’ Nutso out a the Apache Trail right ta the Sandbox.  Harvey an’ Clark had snuck over from Malvern’s an’ been watchin’ me an’ my stupid ol’ man like we was a TV show.  Bummer an’ Moose had drug Nutso ta the Sandbox an’ they was Doodles comin’ right behind.  They tossed Nutso onta the ground an’ then they all surrounded ‘im in a circle so he wouldn’t get away.

“Got one of ‘em!” said Bummer.

Nutso stood up lookin’ pretty wild, like he was off in ‘is head, playin’ army man again, instead a bein’ regular Nutso.  Ever’ body was lookin’ at ‘im, even my stupid ol’ man an’ mother.

“What’s goin’ on, here?” asked my ol’ man. “What the hell do you punks think yer doin’, huh?”

“We caught Nutso, here,” said Bummer.

“So?” my stupid ol’ man asked. “What’s that gotta do with the price a potatoes?”

“He killed Yoder’s father an’ beat up Janie Stoltz, that’s what!”  Bummer wasn’t afraid a anybody.

“He didn’t kill no Yoder’s father,” my stupid ol’ man said.

“Sure he did!”

“Bullshit!” said my stupid ol’ man.  “I saw John Yoder alive up at the hospital not even a hour ago.  He’s a buddy a mine. That’s how much you stupid punks know!”

We all jus’ about dropped our shorts!  Yoder’s ol’ man not dead!

“Holey moley!” said Bobby.

“Yeah,” said my stupid ol’ man.  “Holey moley is right!  I don’t know what all you stupid little punks been thinkin’ yer doin’, but John Yoder is alive an’ well an’ lookin’ ta show his stupid, asshole kid what fer!”

“Annnhhh, I tole ya I ain’t killed nobody!” said Nutso.  I guess he stopped playin’ army fer a minute. It sure seemed he could start an’ stop any ol’ time he wanted a!

“Well,” Bummer said, “Ya been lightin’ fires right an’ left, aincha? Moose said ya got the lighter fluid from his old man, and that’s proof! Our porch, Yoder’s kitchen, and Manette’s house last night.  Ya killed the whole family, aincha?”

“Aw, Jesus, these stupid punk kids, there they go again!” my stupid ol’ man said.  “The onliest Manette’s that got killed was the girl, the sister of that fag, Mim.  Him an’ his mother was at the police station durin’ the fire, answerin’ the coppers questions about him suckin’ off little kids that that stupid Yoder kid was sayin’.  Turns out that weren’t true neither.  Stupid little punks!”

“We saw ‘em pullin’ stretchers outa the house with their dead bodies on ‘em, what was that, huh?”

“Stupid punk!  Shows what you know.  They had brought the stretchers in lookin’ at maybe there was others, but there weren’t, so they jus’ brought the two of ‘em back out empty. It was only the third ‘un that had a dead body on it. You stupid kids don’t hardly know your asses from a hole inna ground!”

“But,” Bummer was yellin’ now.  “Mrs. Malvern and Mrs. Paulsen were there-“

“Stupid bitches! My ol’ man said. “Always makin’ mountains outa molehills.”  Stick their noses ever’ where they’re not needed, old biddies!”

“Ya mean Mim’s not dead?”

“That’s what he’s saying,” said Moose.

“How do you know all this anyways?  You were in the hospital!” said Bummer.

“’Cause my cop friend tole it to me all this mornin’ before they let me out!”

Bummer looked real happy; I couldn’t see why. I was a little disappointed. It was kinda excitin’ ta think that lots a people was getting’ dead.  Now, all we had lef’ was the fires. An’ Mim’s sister, I guess. Well, that was still pretty good, huh?

Right then we heard a yell from the ol’ canal. It was Nosal an’ he was pullin’ Yoder with ‘im.  He’d caught ‘im! Cool!

“I got asshole Yoder!” Nosal yelled.

Me an’ Bummer an’ Moose an’ Harvey an’ ever’ body run over ta the swings where they was walkin’ to.  Nosal threw Yoder onna ground an’ spit at ‘im.  Way cool, like the movies!  Yoder was bleedin’ from ‘is nose an’ mouth an’ his face was all reds an’ purples, like Nosal had busted ‘im inna face a bunch a times.  Which he prolly did.

Yoder crawled up ta his feet.  He saw Nutso.

“You killed my father, you fuck!”

“He ain’t dead!” said Bummer.

Nosal was surprised.  “He ain’t?”

“Nope!  Gilly’s dad saw him at the hospital all alive a little while ago.  I guess Nutso only whacked ‘im a little.”

“Annnhhh, I tole ya I ain’t killed nobody!” Nutso yelled. “He killed my brother!”

“Who killed who?” said Bummer.

“Yoder killed my brother! Inna Calvary Fort, when he burned it down yesterday!  Annnhhh, I saw him!”

Behind me I hear my stupid ol’ man say, “Now that ‘un I don’t know about. Could be!”

Yoder looked like he didn’t know what hit ‘im.  If ever I see anybody looked all guilty, it was Yoder.  Ever’ body was lookin’ at ‘im, like they was waitin’ fer ‘im ta say somethin’, like maybe ta say he never done it er somethin’.  But he didn’t say nothin’.

Now alova sudden ever’ body was in a circle around Yoder.  They had forgot all about Nutso maybe burnin’ up the Manette’s, even though nobody except Mim’s sister ended up getting’ killed or nothin’.  They had forgot all about him beatin’ on Janie Stoltz who never hurt nobody.  They had forgot about Nutso playin’ army an’ bein’ a whack job alla time.  They had forgot all about him lightin’ Bobby Nolette’s porch an’ throwin’ rocks in ‘is window, an’ all.  People could forget anything when somethin’ got excitin’, I guess.

They was all yellin’ at Yoder, tellin’ him all about how he bothered little kids like Frecks an’ Fatsy an’ ol’ slug.  Nutso was saying that it was Yoder what lit Bobby’s porch an’ the Manette’s.  He knew ‘cause Yoder tole ‘im so.  He yelled that Yoder should be killed for burnin’ ‘is brother an’ all.

All this time, Yoder wasn’t sayin’ nothin’. It was like he figured he was gonna die an’ even wanted it a happen, or somethin’.  I thought he might be even nuts-ier than Nutso, an’ that was sayin’ somethin’.

There was people comin’ from all over inta the park.  The Patrick’s was come, an’ the Paulsen’s an’ Trixie an’ them, an’ Frecks had finally showed up from the Ravine, all drippin’ poop water all over everything. Mrs. Malvern was there, an’ hey, there was Mim’s Mom an’ Mim his self, not burned up at all. So, my stupid ol’ man was right fer once.  Who figured!

Mim started yellin at Yoder.

“Stupid bastard, I’m gonna kill ya, burning my house and my sister, goddam you, son of a bitch!”  People was all yammerin’ about it all and circlin’ aroun’ Yoder like they was any minute gonna grab ‘im an’ pulverize ‘im ta smithereens.  That would be way neat-o!

I looked over ta where my ol’ man was an’ there he was, in all the yellin’ an’ stuff, lookin’ straight at me.  Like he never seed me before. Or somethin’.  I was figurin’ he was thinkin’ on how ta kill me with alla people around an’ get away with it so he could go back drinkin’ an’ knockin’ my mother around.  In fact, my snotty sister wasn’t there, so maybe he already killed her an’ stashed ‘er stupid dirty body inna garbage can somewheres er somethin’.  Then he looked down an’ took my mother’s hand.  What the? It’s gotta be some stupid trick, er somethin’.

Mim was still yellin’, Mrs. Malvern and Mrs. Paulsen tryin’ a hold ‘im back, an’ stuff.

 “You killed my sister, ya bastard! Burned her, Goddam it! An’ ya said all them lies about me. I oughta kill ya, right here, ya bastard!”  He turned around an’ saw me. “You too, Beauchamp!  Sayin’ that stuff yesterday.  You probably helped him light the fire, too, huh?”

The ladies caught ‘im  an’ led ‘im away, sayin’ he shouldn’t ought a accuse people a stuff when he really didn’t know, especial when amotions run high, an’ other stupid stuff like that what I didn’t know what they was talkin’ about.  But I think it was me what said them things with Yoder yesterday, but I never meant nothin’ ya know?  Jus’ foolin’ around. 

I run ta where the ladies was talkin’ a Mim.  “Hey Mim,” I said, “I’m sorry I said them things yesterday with Yoder an’ all.  I never meant nothin’ by it, jus’ foolin’ around, ya know?  An’ I sure didn’t help burn your house, either, OK?”  He jus’ stared at me, but Mrs. Malvern said, “Thank you Gilly, that means a lot to the Manette’s.” So, I felt better.  Mim’s mom was looking all dazed, like, like she was dreamin’ and didn’t know where she was an’ all. Weird. An’, when I turned around again, there was my father an’ mother, lookin’ at me an’ smilin’.  I didn’t know what I did wrong, now. My dad only smiled when he was about ta whup me.

The crowd had now gotten real huge, like.  People from all over what we didn’t even know.  Even Mrs. Mason what lived under Yoder was there.  Right then a cop car whooped its siren an’ drove right up inna the park where we was all standin. It stopped right next ta the Horsie Swings an’ Yoder’s mom an’ dad got out.  I guess my stupid ol’ man was right about him, too.  He sure didn’t look all dead. He was walkin’ an’ ever’ thing! His face looked a lot like Yoder’s, though.  All beat up an’ weird colors an’ all.

Yoder alova sudden made a break for it.  He runned his ass off over ta the high tension wire tower next ta the Sandbox.  The whole crowd a guys an’ people chased after ‘im but he gotten too good a head start. 

The tower was where we alla time liked ta climb up. It was all angles an’ crossed steel bars, all criss-crossed alla way up ta where the wires buzzed.  Lots a us had climbed it when our parents wasn’t lookin’.  We all dared each other alla time.  We all knew that if ya ever touched the wires, ya’d get all electrocuted an’ be a goner, but that was part a the fun, ya know?

Anyways, ever’ body chased Yoder over ta the tower.  Alla guys an’ growed ups an even Yoder’s old man an’ lady runned after ‘im.  Nobody catched ‘im, though, he runned so fas’.  He right off started a climb the tower, all diagonal, like, ‘cause a the way the bars was.  He climbed real fas’, about twenny feet up, an’ stopped an’ looked down at ever’ body.

The cop had runned over almos’ as fas’ as us guys did, an’ then said all loud an’ ever’ thing, “Comin’ through, comin’ through, outa the way,” an’ stuff like that. He got at the bottom a the tower an’ he an’ Yoder jus’ looked at each another fer a minute or two.

The cop said, “Come on down, Jimmy.  Nobody’s gonna hurt ya.  Come on down.”

Yoder jus’ held on, there, an’ didn’t say nothin’.

The cops said, “Jimmy.  Come down before somebody gets hurt, boy.  You don’t want that, do ya?”

Showed he didn’t know nothin’ about ol’ Yoder!  Everybody was all talkin’ ta each another about how he was gonna get stuck up there, or fall inta the wires an’ get all killed an’ all, an’ stuff. It was like a circus, all the voices.  Cool!

Yoder’s old lady was cryin’ her ass off, sayin’ stuff like, “My poor baby, oh, please, honey, come down to momma,” an’ stuff like that what moms alla time said.  Real sissy stuff, ya know?

Then, Yoder’s ol’ man stood at the bottom a the tower an’ said, “Son!”

Yoder looked down at ‘is ol’ man an’ said, “Get away!”

His ol’ man said, “Come on, son, this has to stop, now.  Come down.”

“It’s gonna stop!  It’s gonna stop my way!” yelled Yoder.

“John, do something!” cried Yoder’s mom. “Please!”

The cop said, “Come down, boy.  Look at your mother; you’re scaring her to death.”

“I’ll goddam die, first,” yelled Yoder!

“Go ahead, die!” yelled Mim.  “Kill yourself for all we care!  You been nothin’ but trouble since ya came here, ya rotten queer!”

“Yeah!” yelled Nutso. “Go ahead, annnhhh, we don’t care.”

Yoder’s ol’ lady fell on ta the ground, all cryin’ an’ wailin’ an’ stuff.  His ol’ man looked like he didn’t know what he wanted a do.  My mom went ta Mrs. Yoder an’ sat onna ground with ‘er, sayin’ “it’s going to be OK, Irma, it’s all right.”  Mrs. Mason was alova sudden there, too, an’ the ladies jus’ cried an’ blubbered their hearts off.

Then the cop got all tough, like cops was suppose ta.  “OK, kid, I’m comin’ up after ya.”  He started a climb up the tower after Yoder. 

Yoder yelled, “Leave me alone, goddam you!” an’ started a climb up higher towards where the wires was. Maybe Yoder would get his self killed an’ the weekend wouldn’t be such a disappointment after all.

The cop kept climbin’ up after ‘im, but slower, ‘cause cops are always all fat an’ slow like this one was, an’ can’t run or climb so good like what we could.

Yoder’s ol’ man jus’ kep’ lookin’ up at Yoder as ‘e climbed higher.  He looked like he was tryin’ ta decide somethin’.  Like, whether he wanted Yoder ta live or not, or somethin’.

Alova sudden he yelled up ta Yoder, “Goddammit, ya stupid little prick, get your goddam ass down here, NOW, before I beat the hell out of ya!”

Yoder stopped climbin’ for a minute an’ looked down.  So did the cop.  “I don’t have to do anything you say, anymore, you son of a bitch!” Yoder yelled down.  “You can’t do anything to me!  I’ve had it!  No more!”  He was cryin’ the whole time he was yellin’ it, too.

“You’re not shamin’ this family no more, goddam you!” his ol’ man yelled back. “I’m tired of you an’ your stupid trouble!  Ya want to kill yourself, go ahead an’ fuckin’ kill yourself!  It’ll be best for everybody!” 

He turned an’ saw everybody lookin’ at ‘im, like they was all shocked, an’ stuff. It’s like he alova sudden heard what he said. 

“You all don’t know what we’ve been through!” he yelled at ever’ body. “Trouble everywhere he goes!  Hurtin’ little kids; whatever the goddam hell he does, I don’t know!  Little faggot!  I try to beat it the hell out of him, but nothing works.  He just gets goddam worse an’ worse.  I lost a good job because of him.  We had to move into this two bit town to get away from what he did.  I’m working two goddam jobs an’ living in a stinkin’ broken down flat instead of our good house in Albany because of him. An’, now, look!  He’s doing it all again. Diddling little boys an’ getting in fights an’ starting fires everywhere he goes.  I’ve worked hard all my life, an’ for what?  For him?  For that little fuckin’ faggot?  I’m done, I tell you!  Done!  I just don’t care anymore, goddam it!”

Yoder’s ol’ lady had been lookin’ up at ‘im the whole time from her group a ladies.  Her face was all white an; her mouth was open, an’ all.

“John!” she said in a croaky-like voice. “He’s just a boy. Give him a chance!”

“A boy?” he yelled, “He’s goddam seventeen years old!  He hangs around with little boys so he can be a big shot, but he’s old enough to be a man!”

Bummer alova sudden said, “Seventeen?  He’s seventeen?  He’s hanging around with ten year olds for cripe’s sake!  He’s older than me!  We all thought he was, like, twelve, or something!”  He looked up at Yoder. “You’re fuckin’ seventeen?”

“Fuck you!” yelled Yoder.  “Fuck all of you!”

“Come on, kid,” yelled the cop. “Come on down before ya get hurt.”  Even I could see that Yoder didn’t care about getting’ hurt.  I donno, I think it’d be kinda cool if Yoder got killed!  He didn’t care an’ his ol’ man didn’t care, so why not, huh?

“Jimmy!” yelled his mom, still in her croaky voice. “Please, honey. Please come down.  Everything will be OK, you’ll see.”  She looked at his ol’ man. “I won’t let him hurt you anymore, honey, I promise!”

His ol’ man jus’ looked up at him, shakin’ ‘is head.  Yoder started climbin’ higher an’ higher, the cop startin’ again ta climb up after ‘im.

“John!” yelled his mother. “John! Do something!  Stop him!  Tell him it’s all your fault and you’ll treat him better!”

“My fault!” his ol’ man yelled.  “My fault!  Goddam you, woman, how is it my fault?”

She answered, “All his life, he was never good enough.  Never!  Anything he ever tried to do, you shot him down, ever since he was a little boy.  Spanking him.  Beating him!  Black eyes and bruises, all his life.  Telling him he’s worthless! This summer has been terrible.  You’re taking everything out on him.  You look at him like you hate him!  He sees that! You’re a brute, that’s what you are, a brute!  I hate you!  I hate you!  You’ve ruined this family yourself!”  She fell again an’ started cryin’, the ladies sayin’ “now, now,” an’ other useless stuff.

“Goddam you, woman!” he said, an’ he walked over ta her an’ lifted ‘er up away from the ladies an’ smacked her right inna chops, jus’ like I seen my dad do ta my mother alla time.  She went backwards an’ her legs hit the Sandbox an’ she flipped right over an’ ended up on ‘er face inna sand inside.

“Goddam you, ya bastard!” Yoder yelled from up in the tower.  He had already climbed up ta the top, between wires, so he was now on top a ‘em. “I hate you!  I hate you, goddam you!”

Some a the older guys an’ men had grabbed Yoder’s ol’ man an’ knocked him onna ground an’ a couple ‘em was sittin’ on ‘im ta hold ‘im down.  He was swearin’ an’ fightin’ ‘em ta try ta get away, an’ guys was getting’ thrown all over.  The ladies had gone ta the Sandbox ta see ta Yoder’s Mom, an’ lotsa guys was crowded around a Sandbox seats, lookin’ in, so’s I couldn’t see.

The cop up in the tower was yellin’ “Watch out, watch out!” 

We all looked up, an’ there was Yoder, standin’ up onna top bar, wavin’ ‘is arms, like he was tryin’ a keep ‘is balance, or somethin’.   His mom screamed from the Sandbox, “Jimmy, no!  Don’t! Stop him, somebody, please!”

Yoder was still wavin’ ‘is arms, like he wanted ta get down an’ hold on, but he was getting’ wigglier an’ wigglier. It was all like it was happenin’ real slow, ya know?  He wiggled an’ waved an’ then leaned over too far an’ fell down inta the wires.

They was a big Zot! An’ a big Bam, like thunder an’ lightnin’, so loud an’ so bright we none of us could see nothin’ for a minute or so.  Ya ever been in a storm where the lightnin’ crashed right overhead at the same time as thunder, where it lights up the night like day? It was like that.  I could feel all tingles all over me, like the prickles when I fell inta picker bushes.  My hair felt like it was standin’ on end.  I had shivers all over me.

Yoder fell with a loud flop onna ground, jus’ a few feet away from me. He right away lit up on fire an’ ‘e smelled jus’ terrible.  Two wires what ‘e hit had broke an’ had fallen with ‘im.  They was sparklin’ onna ground on either side.  A buncha people had got hit by ‘em an’ they was screamin’, the ones that was still alive anyways.  A couple a ‘em was lyin’ still onna ground, under the wires, with smoke comin’ off a ‘em.

One a the wires had slapped down on ta the tower frame where the cop was.  He had fallen outa the tower an’ was layin in a heap right at the bottom, an’ he was smokin, too, with little fire flames on ‘is back.

Everything stunk like electricity an’ fire, like them burnin’ hoses in Mr. Boulerice’s car.  Some man I didn’t know had run ta Yoder an’ was beatin’ ‘im with his own shirt.  I thought, leave ‘im alone, he’s dead, ya idiot, ‘till I realized he was tryin’ ta put Yoder’s fire out.  He stopped when the fire was out, an’ backed away.  The fire lit right up again, an’ he went back ta it an’ started whappin’ again.

Yoder’s mom was screamin’ an’ Mrs. Mason an’ my mom an’ some others was holdin’ ‘er away.  She was all bloody inna face an’ ya could hardly tell who she was, or nothin’. Mim’s mom was all hysteriacal, wavin’ her arms alla round an’ wailin’ an’ sayin’ stuff like “stop killin’ alla children’s” an’ stuff, Mrs. Malvern and Mrs. Paulsen holdin onta her with all they might.

Yoder’s ol’ man had got away from the guys holdin’ em when Yoder had fell, an’ now was jus’ standin’ next ta Yoder, lookin’ down at ‘im with a ‘holy cow’ look.  He stood there for what seemed like a long time, an’ then fell on ‘is knees an’ started cryin’ ‘is ass off, like he was alova sudden sorry, or somethin’.  He was screamin’, over an’ over, “Oh, my God, Oh, my God, Oh, my God!”  Jus’ that, over an’ over, like a broken record.

Yoder’s mom broke away from the ladies an’ ran ta ‘im an’ started hittin’ an’ kickin’ ‘im, screamin’, “Bastard!  Bastard!”  The ol’ man didn’t hit her or nothin’, jus’ kept cryin’ with ‘is hands on ‘is face, sayin’ “Oh, my God!”

I felt a hand on my shoulder an’ looked around. It was my stupid ol’ man.  He was jus’ standin’ next ta me with a weird look on ‘is face, like I never seed before.  He was starin’ at Yoder an’ his parents over there.  He squeezed my shoulder a few times. I was getting’ ready ta run, when he slipped down on ta his knees an’ grabbed me up in ‘is arms.  I thought  he was gonna kill me then, by squeezin’ me ta death, but he jus’ started cryin’, jus’ like Yoder’s ol’ man was, only he was sayin’ “I’m sorry.  I’m so sorry!” over an’ over again.

My mom comed over, too, when she saw us, an’ my father crushed us all on ta the ground.  The both of ‘em was cryin’, an’ my mom would pet me an’ then say, “There, there, now,” ta my ol’ man.

I started cryin’, too, but I didn’t know why.